Daily Weird #25-Scratching Harry Baals

Fort Wayne, IN loves Harry Baals, at least most of them do. Some of them are ashamed of Harry Baals, but they shouldn’t be.

Harry Baals was the Mayor of Fort Wayne for four terms in the 1930’s and the 1950’s, making Baals the longest tenured mayor in Fort Wayne’s history.  The lawmakers wanted to name a new government center after the esteemed Baals, but later had second thoughts. They were concerned that Baals might end up the butt of many, many jokes.

There has been online voting for the naming of the new building. So far, Baals is ahead. The current Deputy Mayor is concerned. Some say she has no sense of humor, others believe that she may have something personal against Harry Baals. On the upside, city spokesman, Frank Suarez, said they were having a lot of fun with Baals. Over 1700 people have cast their vote, with the largest numbers of votes being cast in favor of Harry Baals. The mayor, Tom Henry, doesn’t seem to have actually taken a stand on Baals one way or the other. The online voting ends on Friday.

It would certainly be a shame if the new center were not named after Harry Baals. Yes, it inspires jokes. Lots and lots of jokes. Jokes make people smile, and maybe even titter. Smiling, tittering people are happy and therefore healthier. Healthy citizens are good for our economy. Also, there is a very good chance that Fort Wayne would see an influx of tourism. Who wouldn’t want to take a trip to see Harry Baals? This would be good for the economy of Fort Wayne.

So, they can scratch Harry Baals in Fort Wayne, or they can accept Harry Baals, be proud of having Harry Baals in their city, and reap the rewards that come from Harry Baals. Is there really any question of what should be done?

If you live in Fort Wayne, might I suggest that you write to your Mayor and ask, no, insist, on Harry Baals. He might be offended at first, but once he sees how good Harry Baals is for the city, he’s sure to grab on and run with the idea.

We’ve needed Baals in our government for years. It’s just to bad that he didn’t run for president.